In December 1994, over two all-night improv sessions at New York's Dessau Studios, Suicide's Alan Vega, Big Star's Alex Chilton, and singer-songwriter Ben Vaughn joined forces without a predetermined plan. Out of those two nights came a truly mesmerizing album, Cubist Blues. Originally released in 1996, it included the tracks "Candyman" and "Lover of Love," alternate versions of which are presented here. This 7" features a radio edit of "Candyman" and a live version of "Lover of Love" from the trio's 1996 concert at Les Rencontres Trans Musicales in France, one of only two live performances the ensemble ever did.

"New liner notes interviewing Alan Vega & Ben Vaughn. Remastered from original tapes. Includes download card for live show at Trans Musicales, France, Dec. 7th, 1996. The unlikely union of Suicide's Alan Vega, Big Star's Alex Chilton, and singer-songwriter Ben Vaughn happened in December 1994 in a fog of cigarette smoke at two barely-lit, all-night improv sessions at Dessau Studios in New York. What transpired was the group's only release, a brilliant album called Cubist Blues. Some kind of alchemy happened. The elements are disparate -- Vega, known for Suicide's grinding, pre-industrial drone, Chilton for his ultra-melodic FM rock, and Vaughn for his outsider art. Put together, what came out was something totally unexpected, a long, mesmeric incantation built on Elvis-meets-Ian Curtis vocals, rockabilly guitar, growling synths, and metronomic drums. A jam session at heart -- albeit a very productive one -- the songs took shape as they were recorded. 'I showed up with lyrics for one song and figured we would see what happened,' says Vega, recalling the first night in the brand new liner notes. 'Little did I know, we would record for hours and hours. By the last song, my brain was burning up. I literally felt myself on fire. I was depleted. Yet, we could have gone on and on.' So-called supergroups get a bad rap for not equaling the sum of their parts. Vega, Chilton, and Vaughn add up to something from a place beyond any of them. Originally released by Henry Rollins on his 2.13.61 label via Thirsty Ear, the album failed to find any sort of audience -- remarkable, considering its players, but reflective of the lull following Kurt Cobain's death and the collapse of the all-conquering grunge sound. The group played two live shows and then promptly went their separate ways. 'At the time, I didn't fully realize how unique the Cubist Blues experience was,' says Ben Vaughn now. 'Looking back, it was magic to work with those guys.' Timeless, groundbreaking in sound even now, this is a chance to hear a woefully overlooked album that -- had it not been so -- might have re-shaped the next decade of music."

"Previously unreleased. Remastered from the original DAT tape. If a music critic could design their own supergroup, it might look something like the one that released the experimental, unique, and pulse-quickening 1996 album, Cubist Blues. The trio -- Suicide's Alan Vega, Big Star's Alex Chilton, and singer-songwriter Ben Vaughn -- are outsiders each and cult heroes in their own right. Their unlikely union happened in December 1994 in a fog of cigarette smoke at two barely-lit, all-night improv sessions at Dessau Studios in New York. After that fateful session, the three reunited to play one NYC show and promptly flew to Rennes, France to play Trans Musicales 1996. Vaughn recalls, 'the place went wild. It was a great reaction. Alan is truly famous in France, so they were going nuts. For the encore, Alex called out "I Remember," an old Suicide song. It immediately fell into place, and the vocal Alan delivered was astounding. The memory of listening to his voice through the monitors during that song still kills me. What a gift he has.' The next day, as the musicians we were being dropped off in Paris for their flight home, the driver handed them a DAT tape of their set from the festival. Vaughn states, 'I put it in my guitar case where it stayed for over ten years.' 'Looking back, it was magic to work with those guys,' continues Vaughn. 'Two nights in the studio, two live shows, and then it was over. That material was never performed again.'"